A simple bronze plaque on an etched glass door read "Phoenix Wright: Defense Attorney". The man who ran this office was known for being uncouth, messy, unorganized, and overall damn good at his job. However, in the eyes of every single prosecutor he went up against, he was still a rookie.
His task for the night was simple, find evidence to prove a client's innocence. With each click of the keyboard, more and more evidence came into light. By the time Phoenix finished his report, he was sure that his client was innocent. The prosecutor he was up against would beg to differ. She was a temperamental type, expressing her anger with a flick of the wrist and a crack of her whip.
Phoenix sighed as he stood from his chair. Although he had enough evidence to prove his to the court that his client was innocent, he had also wasted a large chunk of time while writing the report up. It was nearing two in the morning, and the trial was later that day. He rubbed his eyes as the report printed and without a word, he grabbed the report, shut down the computer, locked up his office and started for his apartment.
When he finally got back to his apartment, he was not surprised to see a note on the fridge. Maya and Pearl had to go to Kurain village for the night, but would be back before the trial. Phoenix grinned, took down the note and walked slowly to his room. He entered it without a word. He placed the files and notes he'd need for the trial on his bedside table, and without changing clothes, he collapsed onto his bed.
The alarm on the table rang loudly, startling the young defense attorney from his sleep. As Phoenix slowly got up out of bed and began to clean himself up, his phone rang.
"Nick!" a familiar voice screamed happily. "Pearly and I are going to be a little late for the trial."
"Why is that? You and Pearls normally take, what, an hour at most to get here." Phoenix felt confused as he combed his hair. Maya was never late when they had to be at a trial.
"Nick, do me a favor and look outside." Maya countered in an unimpressed voice.
Phoenix hung up the phone and walked up to the window, the sight that met his eyes was nothing less than beautiful. Snow covered every inch of the city, the light and electrical poles were lined with chains of ice. It looked almost magical. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, but as beautiful as it was, that meant the roads were slick and walking to work would be a pain.
As Phoenix walked out into the snow he slipped on a patch of black ice. The file slid from his grasp and skidded on the ice, scattering the papers inside. He sighed and began picking up the file and papers, hoping no one would see him. Too late, as he stood back up, a bright red Mercedes pulled up to the curb. The young woman at the wheel had an evil grin plastered on her face.
"Drop something, Phoenix Wright?" although Franziska von Karma spoke perfect English, she still spoke with strong German inflection in her voice. Phoenix inhaled and exhaled slowly before facing her.
"No, Ms. Von Karma, I slipped on the ice. The file fell from my hand when I tried to catch myself." He spoke carefully, knowing full well that she held her whip in the hand she wasn't driving with.
Even as he spoke the thin brown piece of leather lashed out and cut him across the face. Phoenix winced as it lashed him, but his grip on the file didn't relax. He snarled in pain as the whip lashed out again, this time cutting near his eye.
"Yes, aim for the eyes, because blinding me won't make anything worse." He snapped.
"Watch yourself Phoenix Wright. After all, you and I both know you don't stand a chance against me in court." As she spoke, Phoenix collected himself. He glared at her as he recovered from the whippings.
"Ms. Von Karma, Even if you did win this case, you'd end up whipping my sorry hide into oblivion." Phoenix sighed as he dusted himself off.
He faced Franziska as she snarled at him, her eyes burning with anger. She withdrew the whip and revved the motor. Without another word she sped away, spraying Phoenix with slush and snow. Phoenix sighed as his head dripped with the now melting snow. He shook his head sending a light spray around him. He looked up as a loud cat-call filled his ears.
"Wow, I didn't know a defense attorney could be so whipped!" A group of children nearby were laughing at their friend's quip. Phoenix shook his head and laughed.
"What're you laughing at loser!?" The kid yelled as Phoenix kept laughing.
"I'm not whipped, you are. I willingly go to my job; you little brats are forced to go to school. Who's whipped now?" he asked as he walked past the kids.
The kids went from laughing on the ground, to gathering snow to throw at Phoenix. He quickly gathered himself up and ran for the courthouse. He closed the door behind him just as the snowballs hit the door. As he turned around the last thing he saw before a face full of snow was Franziska von Karma grinning like a Cheshire cat. Her soft laughter tickled his ears. The snow had hit him hard enough to knock him off his feet.
"I did tell you Phoenix Wright, you don't stand a chance." She said to him.
A sigh escaped his lips as he wiped away the snow and stood up. As he prepared to enter the courtroom behind Franziska, another snowball slapped the back of his head. He turned and for the briefest second, saw Pearl Fey laughing her head off. Then, the doors slammed closed and the trial began.
As Phoenix stepped out of the courtroom, he held his hand to his lip. Large whip marks lined his face and neck; his lip had been split open at one point, thus causing him to curse Ms. Von Karma and her vicious whip.
Without a word, Phoenix sat on the couch outside the courtroom and laid back, his head was pounding and the consequential whipping after the trial did little to aid his pain. He noticed his aide standing nearby, her cousin in tow. The two spirit mediums looked worried.
"Mr. Nick, will you be alright?" Pearl had noticed his busted lip.
"I'm fine Pearls, just tired. I have a minor headache but, nothing that can't be fixed with a little rest." He reassured her. "I might just stay here and rest for a bit before heading back."
"Nick, that might be a bad idea, it began snowing again while you were in trial." Maya said with concern.
Phoenix walked up to the window to see if she was right. The snow has begun to build again, a thin layer of ice lined the walk and a good 5 inches of snow had already fallen. However, the snow falling didn't look severe enough to worry about. Phoenix sat back down and went to lie down on the couch.
"Nick, C'mon we need to go." Maya insisted.
"Then go, I'm not keeping you here and to be honest, I'm tired. Give me a small while and I'll be back at the apartment, ok?" Phoenix felt adamant, he felt too dizzy to walk home and a strange queasiness had swept over him rather fast.
"Ok, we'll wait for you at the apartment." Maya aid, unconvinced that he should stay.
Phoenix watched as Maya and Pearl exchanged looks before heading out into the light snowfall. It wasn't that he felt sick, just not well. His head throbbed painfully, his stomach was queasy and his mouth was dry. Exhaustion leaked through his body and as his head hit the pillow, he felt darkness engulf him.
Loud yelling and whip cracks startled Phoenix from his sleep. He turned over and looked towards the entrance of the courthouse. The source of the yelling soon became apparent. Franziska von Karma and Miles Edgeworth were tied in a heated argument. Phoenix sighed when he finally heard what they were yelling and did his best to go back to sleep. A few snatches of argument filtered through.
"Just go, Miles Edgeworth. I'll be perfectly fine. You know we have worse snow in Germany, and besides, I have to study for the upcoming trial!" Franziska insisted.
"Okay, fine. Stay here, Franziska. However, I want you home before two A.M. you know I hate waiting for you." Edgeworth snapped as he headed out the door.
"Fool." Franziska whispered as she walked away, her heels clicking lightly and fading as she disappeared down the hall.
Phoenix was in a light haze, the area seemed to be lulling him back to sleep. Franziska's heels clicking lightly on the tile floor, mixed with the ticking of the clock and the comfort of the couch. Phoenix fell asleep within minutes.
Phoenix awoke with a start, his phone rang loudly from his pocket and the soft snow that had been falling was now accompanied by a roaring wind. He sighed and drew his hand over his face as he plucked his phone from his pocket.
"Hello, Phoenix Wright speaking." He stated, still drowsy.
"NICK! Thank goodness, you're still at the courthouse, right?" The worry in Maya's voice jolted him awake.
"What's wrong, Maya? I'll be on my way out in a second here!" he said simply.
"That'd be a bad idea Nick." She said weakly, her voice strained.
Before Phoenix could ask what happened, a male voice interrupted him on the phone.
"Wright!?" Edgeworth sounded twice as hysterical as Maya had. "Is Franziska still at the courthouse?!"
"I don't know, just woke up." Phoenix explained, still in a daze.
"D-do me a favor, Wright, look for her, make sure she's still there and stays there, Please."
"Sure thing, I'll look for her." Phoenix said distantly. He'd noticed that the snow had built up and was nearing the window ledge. He clicked the phone off and slowly began walking down the hall.
The lights above flickered ominously, the clock ticked loudly and the wind howled from outside. Phoenix could tell just by the tension in the air, that something was wrong. His pace quickened as he looked in each room he passed. He stopped briefly in one room to pick up a small flashlight and continued down the hall.
The sign on the door read 'Cafeteria'. It was one of the only other rooms lit and the only place he hadn't checked on the first floor. With a silent prayer he opened the door and looked around. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Franziska von Karma sitting quietly at a table, fully concentrating on the file in front of her.
"Ms. von Karma?" Phoenix kept his voice low, to avoid spooking her. She looked up. Slight alarm flitted across her face before settling into annoyance.
"What do you want, Phoenix Wright?" she sounded harried, as if exhausted by reading the file. It didn't surprise him, most case files were painful to read.
"It's 9 P.M. and the storm has grown worse. Your brother, Miles Edgeworth called me. He's asked me to tell you that we'll have to stay here for the night." Phoenix didn't know why he felt so calm but, the flickering lights did give him a sense of unease.
"Ha. That is such a foolish joke, Phoenix Wright. The storm could not have grown worse in this short amount of time. As for what time it is, it doesn't concern me. I have stayed here overnight researching cases before." She stated simply.
"Ms. von Karma, do me a favor." Phoenix chuckled as Franziska readied her whip.
"What is it, foolish fool?" she asked warningly.
"Look out the window."
Franziska blinked, she lowered her whip and made her way to the window, where she felt her heart drop. The snow had indeed gotten worse, and it was now slowly climbing the windows inch by inch.
A sharp snap filled the air and the electronics around them stopped functioning, the lights flickered dangerously and the only sound that filled the air afterwards was the howling wind.
"It looks like the power's gone dead." Phoenix stated, before feeling rather stupid for his obvious statement.
"Foolish fool, if the power is out then why are the lights still working?" Franziska was testing him, he could tell by the look in her eyes.
"It's called 'back-up power'," he said simply. "It's basically a generator that supplies power to the lights, while leaving anything else without power."
Phoenix looked around and took notice of various vending machines and the sandwich shop when had plenty of pre-made sandwiches sitting in the fridge in the back. It then occurred to him that, as long as they were stuck there, they may as well gather supplies.
"We'd better gather some food and drink. Who knows how long we'll be stuck here." He said simply.
"Fool, you said nothing works because the power is off. How will we obtain it?" Franziska snapped impatiently.
"Ms. von Karma, In case of emergency, you break the glass." Phoenix then picked up a chair and slammed it against the glass for the vending machine, shattering it.
"Doesn't this count as vandalism and stealing?" she asked bitterly.
"Like I said, it's an emergency, and who know how long we'll be stuck here. If worst comes to worst, I'll pay for the damages." Phoenix said without batting an eye. He knew that people trapped in other buildings would be taking the same measures to survive.
"Foolish fool, I refuse to take part in such illegal actions!" Phoenix watched as Franziska turned on her heel and left the room angrily.
Phoenix sighed. He knew it was illegal under any normal circumstances to destroy public property and to steal from the vending machines but, what other choice was there? They'd be stuck there a minimum of 3 days if the snow didn't slow down, as judging by the cracks in the glass, there was little chance of rescue before a week went by.
Phoenix tore out the plastic encasing the wires from the soda machine next, slowly stacking the drinks on the table next to it. He then made his way to the kitchen and found two large bags, obviously made for transporting food from the truck to the café. He opened the fridge and took a few of the premade sandwiches.
After filling the two bags with food and drinks, he slowly made his way towards the hall. The sight that met him made him stop in his tracks. The snow had completely built up against the windows. Large chunks of glass had popped out, letting a small stream of fresh snow into the courthouse. The remaining glass was spider webbed with large cracks that creaked loudly with the building pressure.
He moved slightly faster, briskly walking towards the stairwell. A loud crash echoed behind him as the first window shattered and snow spilled into the courthouse. As he walked up the stairs, the lights snapped loudly and went black. The remaining windows shattered and snow and wind whirled endlessly around the stunned defense attorney.
He flicked on the small flashlight as he made his way up the stairs and into the second floor hallway. Grateful for the relief from the undying wind, he checked each door for the office he knew Franziska would be in.
He stopped in front of the door and knocked lightly. A commanding voice met his ears.
"Enter." Was all she said, her voice was too even and too emotionless.
Phoenix slowly opened the door and wisely left the bags outside. The second he stepped into the office he felt the sharp snap of the whip sting his skin. Over and over she whipped him, large thin marks appearing on his face and neck as she did so.
"What the hell were you thinking, Phoenix Wright?!" She snapped. "You give a poor display for the law, do you think you are above it as so many of the criminals you persecute?!"
As soon as the whip stopped, Phoenix left the room and returned with the bags. He didn't speak, just wiped off his face and collapsed on one of the couches in the office. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Ms. von Karma. No one is above the law, least of all someone like me." He held up his hand as Franziska tried to interrupt him. "I know that taking this was wrong but, please, try to understand. We are trapped in the courthouse. Judging by the condition of the storm we will be stuck here for a minimum of four or five days. Now, unless you are some Miracle worker or you're immortal. I highly doubt you can survive without food or water."
"You still have to answer for smashing the machines." She snapped.
"I will. However, judging by our circumstances, you'd agree that sooner or later, this measure would've been necessary." He said it gently, trying not to anger her further.
She stared at him for a small moment before nodding. Although she hated to admit it, their situation was less than manageable and any help from any source was welcome.
"Also, it's gotten dangerous downstairs. The windows have all shattered from the buildup of snow and ice. So, we'll have to remain up here until rescue arrives." Phoenix warned her.
Franziska sighed and looked out the window as the storm worsened. Phoenix noticed the open file on her desk and curiosity got the better of him. As he looked at the file he felt confusion settle in. It was her father's file from the Hammond murder. Next to it was Gregory Edgeworth's file. Franziska noticed him looking and sighed.
"I'm looking for a motive." She stated.
"Excuse me?" Phoenix felt embarrassment flood his cheeks as he looked at her. She looked stoic.
"I'm looking for my father's motive in the DL-6." She said.
"Didn't he tell you?" Phoenix felt incredulous. This was her father who committed the crime, not some random person.
"No, he feels I don't need to know anything about it since it has nothing to do with me." She said darkly. Phoenix felt his temper flare.
"That ridiculous, this is your father. Not some random bum off the street." Phoenix spat. "Where does he get the idea it has nothing to do with you?"
"He just told me that it's better if I didn't know." She said bitterly. "He's protecting me, I guess." Her uncertainty startled him.
"Ms. von Karma, it is well within your right to know what happened. Hiding this fact from you is concealing evidence, not protecting you." Phoenix raised his voice. He felt alarmed. Did she really not know her father's selfish reason?
"Phoenix Wright, what I do and do not know out of my father's case is none of your concern! If Miles Edgeworth wants to keep me in the dark about this matter then it is his decision." Franziska spat angrily. She held her whip at the ready and Phoenix backed off.
"Did you at least find the information you were looking for?" he asked.
"No. Miles must've taken it." She settled down as well, slinking back into her desk chair.
Phoenix could feel his anger rising but, he knew if he spoke his mind he would probably be eating whip leather for the rest of the night. He sat back down on the couch and rubbed his temples vigorously. He then noticed the agitated look on Franziska's face, maybe he should just tell her himself?
"Ms. von Karma?" he inquired lightly. He watched as her stance darkened and she gave him a glassy stare. He continued, "Would you like me to tell you, why your father killed Edgeworth's father?"
"No Phoenix Wright, I would not. Whatever reason Miles has to conceal it from me must be extremely important." She felt slight alarm when Phoenix interrupted her.
"I didn't ask what Miles or your Father wanted. I'm asking you, right now. Do you want to know?" His voice was edgy and his temper boiling. She's so used to people telling her how to respond she hardly knows what she wants. He thought bitterly.
"I-I….. Yes, I do want to know what happened, and why. However, what I want is not the issue. It should not be your concern of whether I know something or not Phoenix Wright." She snapped as she stood up and made her way around the desk towards the other couch.
Phoenix stood up and began pacing, slowly. The room was large, two couches sitting across from one another. The desk sat next to the window and the small amount of light that made its way into the room was from outside. As Phoenix paced he could feel his temper rising, slowly. He had to address this. She deserved to be treated better.
"Please, stop." Phoenix looked at Franziska and realized why the uncertainty was there, she was scared to see her own father dragged down to the low point of being called a murderer. Phoenix shook his head.
"Ms. von Karma, regardless of what your 'brother' thinks. It is not in your best interest that he's concealing evidence." He winced as her whip lashed out and bit him on the cheek. She looked murderous herself.
"You are a fool. Is it really so wrong to conceal something to protect someone, to avoid bringing them harm?" she asked venomously.
"Not if hiding something does more harm than good." He snapped back.
He winced as the whip dashed out again, multiple times. With each snap of the whip he felt his temper flare out. Finally, he'd reached his limit. He put his arm up and caught the whip mid-swing. It tangled around his arm before unwinding and dangling uselessly.
"Pride," he said darkly. "Do you know what it does to a person ms. von Karma?"
"Foolish Fool!" she snapped at him, trying to reclaim her whip. Phoenix chuckled angrily as he held onto it.
"Pride was what brought him down. A perfect forty year record and yet it was gone in an instant. I wonder, what anger did you really feel when I broke your perfect record?" he asked bitterly. Blood had begun to drip from his lip which had been sliced open again.
Franziska froze. All anger and hatred she felt for the man in front of her gave way to curiosity and fear.
"He was penalized a long time ago. By Edgeworth's father, He'd been found submitting falsified evidence." Phoenix continued, "His anger was only warped into unnatural hatred when Edgeworth, in fear of the quarrel going on in the elevator, ended up shooting your dad."
Franziska could feel the pain welling up inside, surely this fool was lying…. Wasn't he?
"In his blind anger, he waited as the elevator arrived and saw Yanni Yogi, Edgeworth and his father passed out inside. He then saw the gun at his feet and saw revenge in the same gun." Phoenix finished bitterly. "Your father was a murderer, and he held no regrets for what he did. His pride gave way to anger and anger led to his crime."
"Phoenix Wright," Franziska struggled to keep her voice even, "Ever if what you say is true, can you prove it?"
"With all due respect Ms. von Karma The bullet in his right shoulder did all the talking for me in court." He snapped bitterly.
Phoenix watched as Franziska sat down shakily and looked around, fear overwhelmed her. She looked lost, as if searching for a place to hide.
"You know, Ms. von Karma, what I am talking about, Don't you?" He asked venomously. "You know that pride drives you, It's driven you this far. So, who's to say it won't drive you down the same exact path?"
"You fool! Other than pride I am nothing like my father!" she stood defensively.
"So the bullet wound in your right shoulder doesn't exist then?!" he snapped back.
Phoenix only saw the look of horror flit across her face before she pushed past him and ran out into the hall. It was then that he realized why Edgeworth had been keeping it secret from her. She was still young, still clinging to that image of parents that so many children hold dear. She still looked to them for guidance. He began banging his head on the wall in frustration and anger.
"Foolish! Foolish! Fool!" He snapped bitterly at himself. He felt his anger drain into sorrow. He'd have to go apologize. Though he doubted she'd forgive him that easily, if at all.
"I'm a real dumbass." He remarked to himself. "It wouldn't surprise me if she whipped me to hell and back for this mess!"
Before Phoenix could gather his thoughts a terrified scream tore through the air. Anger and guilty gave way to fear and horror. He was sure it was Franziska's voice. Something had happened to her. Phoenix tore out of the room quickly.
"Please don't be dead, please!" He whispered silently as he disappeared down the hall.